The Red, Red Rose
by Amphitrite
Summary: Updated Chapter 7 A new view of an old classic (Beauty and the Beast). My first story please be kind. RR. Sorry it has taken so long hides from flying fruit
1. Of Ebony

1 The Red, Red Rose  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Characters are mine but main idea is based on "Beauty and the Beast". Not for profit. Entertainment only.  
  
A/N: Please be nice, very first fan fiction. R/R please.  
  
Chapter 1- Of Ebony  
  
Once upon a time in a land by the sea there lived a young woman that was ignored by everyone. Her own father wished at times that she were dead, because when she was born her mother died. The last thing the young woman's mother said was "Give her my name and love her always." Instead her father named her Ebony for the dark world that he lived in now that his beloved wife was dead.  
  
Ebony was not an only child she had two elder sisters, Joanna and Evelyn, that treated her more like a servant then a true sister. Ebony did all the housework, the cooking, and the cleaning, all the while trying to stay out of her fathers way. For whenever her father looked upon Ebony he would be reminded of his wife and how she had died. Then her father would get drunk and beat Ebony so bad that she would be black and blue, some times for months after.  
  
As time passed Ebony grew into a beautiful young woman. She had long black hair that went past her knees, eyes that were the color of emeralds, but because of the hard work that she did day in and day out her skin was tanned with freckles and her hands were rough and dry.  
  
One day her father came into the house early from work and told his daughters that he was going to the city to make a deal and then they would all be rich. This made Joanna and Evelyn very happy and they asked there father to bring them home much jewelry and beautiful fabrics. As the three of them talked about all they were going to do with the money and what they wanted, Ebony stayed in the shadows thinking about what she would ask for if any one asked her. She was thinking about how pretty a red, red rose would look in her hair. When Ebony heard her father say that he was going to bed so that he could get up early she got up the cougar to say to her father "Father may I ask for one thing?" Of course her father was not happy about being reminded that she was alive so he slapped her across the mouth and said, "What do you want that could compare to my two true daughters?" For you see that is what he called Joanna and Evelyn, his two true daughters.  
  
"All I want is a single red, red rose to put in my hair for a day."  
  
To this the three of them just laughed until they cried. Finally her father stopped laughing and said "If I happen to have enough time to look for your red, red rose then maybe I will get one for you, then again I might just pick some for my two true daughters." Then he went to bed, still laughing.  
  
The next few weeks were some of the happiest that Ebony could remember. You see her sisters did not want to see her whatsoever; so Ebony had those weeks to do what she wanted as long as she finished her chores. During this time she spent hours down on the beach watching the waves; and many an hour in the woods listening to the birds sing and the leaves rustle. It was there about two weeks after her father had left that Ebony made one of the discoveries that would start to change her life even though she did not know it at the time.  
  
One day while Ebony was walking in the forest she was not watching where she was going, finding the flowers on the forest floor very fascinating, and ran strait into a young man that was out hunting. Well, both Ebony and the young hunter fell onto the floor and Ebony landed on top.  
  
"I'm so sorry…" Ebony started to say but then she looked into the bluest eyes that she had ever seen. They were like a clear summer sky, pure and beautiful.  
  
The young hunter was just as stunned when he looked into Ebony's emerald green eyes. "That is all right, for it is not every day that I get fallen on by an angel from the heavens above."  
  
"Oh my," was all that Ebony could think to say as she laid across his chest.  
  
"My angel, would you please grant me the permission to help you up?"  
  
It was not until then that Ebony noticed that she was lying across the hunter's chest. She then scrambled off. The hunter stood up and gave his hand to Ebony. She took his hand and he helped her up, but he kept her hand once they both were standing.  
  
"May I please have your name or do I just continue to call you by what you are, my angel?" said the hunter.  
  
"My name?" Ebony asked still shaken from both the fall and the hunter himself.  
  
"Yes, your name so that when I say my prayers tonight I can thank God for sending you to me. I would whisper your name with my last breath before I fall asleep to dream dreams of the future that until now looked dull and gray, but are now suddenly full of light and color."  
  
"M… my name is Ebony."  
  
"Ebony the name of my angel. I am Henry, your gallant knight and greatest of hunters, at your survive from now until the day God takes me from your side." As Henry said this he dropped onto one knee in front of Ebony still holding her hand. When he finished he kissed the back of her hand with the lightest of kisses.  
  
The kiss startled Ebony more then all the words that Henry said, for you see it was her first kiss ever. At that point Ebony began to fall in love with Henry, or at least she believed that it was love. Now, Henry knew from the moment that he looked into Ebony's emerald green eyes that he was in love and that they would live together happily ever after.  
  
Over the next few weeks Ebony and Henry met every day. They would talk for hours, well actually Henry would talk and Ebony would just sit there looking into his blue eyes, falling more in love with him. She really did not mind that Henry seemed not to care what she thought or felt it was just wonderful to have someone that wanted to be with her. When they were together she could forget her own problems. 


	2. Deals and Rose

1 Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: In chapter 1 we met the lovely Ebony and her not so lovely family. We also met the young hunter, Henry. Ebony and Henry spent many an hour together and started falling in love. During all of this Ebony's father is in town conducting his business. That is where we continue our story…  
  
Chapter 2- Deals and Roses  
  
It took Ebony's father three days to travel to the city. As it turned out, he arrived about two weeks early and had to stay in the city to await the arrival of the shipment, so that he could make the deal. The night before the deal was, finalized Ebony's father went to a tavern in one of the more seedy parts of the city.  
  
While at the tavern he sat at a table full of people, because he kept buying the drinks. With a scantily clad lady on both his knees he talked about how rich he was going to be after tomorrow, and all the beautiful things that he was going to buy his two true daughters. When four men came over and asked if they could join in on the party, and he agreed whole heartily.  
  
"By the way, my name is Curtis friends," said Ebony's father.  
  
The four men just mumbled something, which no one could make out. Not that it mattered because Curtis had turned his attention back to the two women on his knees. The men spent the next two hours listening to how Curtis bragged about all the money he was going to have after tomorrow and all the things that he was going to buy his daughters.  
  
When morning came, Curtis started to leave his room. Then he turns around and looks at the two battered and bruised naked women and says, "Thanks that was fun. I'll look you up next time I'm in town."  
  
As he closed the door, he could hear the women start to cry which (of course) put a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. By the time that Curtis arrived at the office where the deal was to be conducted he was grinning from ear to ear and whistling a happy little tune. For the next five hours Curtis had to sit and wait as all of the little points of the deal were worked out. With each passing hour his good mood lessened, until by the end it was as if it was nonexistent. The only thing that brought some of it back was when the amount that Curtis was getting was announced. This actually turned out to be quite a lot more than what he had first thought it would be.  
  
Curtis decided that he was going to spend another night in the city to celebrate his new good fortune. He ended up at the same tavern that he had spent the night before at. Also, he kept the two same women with him the whole time. When he was ready to go up to his room the women were close to tears because they remembered the hell that they had been through the night before.  
  
When morning came Curtis was in the best mood that he probably had ever been in. The women though were probably in the worst shape that they had ever been in. Curtis just whistled as he walked to the front room where he paid his bill and started on his way home to his two true daughters.  
  
Curtis was about one day from home when it happened. The same four men that he drank with the first night at the tavern attacked him. They came when the sun was setting, surrounding him on all four sides, and dragging him to the ground knocking him unconscious. Then they moved him and his horses about an hour into the woods by which Curtis was passing. When Curtis finally woke up it was pitch black and he was tied to a tree. He looked around the camp trying to figure out where he was and what was going on. The first thing that he noticed was that all four of the men were around a fire and that they were going through the presents that he had bought his two true daughters. When the men noticed that he was awake they started to take turns on punching and kicking Curtis until he was unconscious again. This time when he woke up it was full light out and the men were gone with his money, his presents for his two true daughters, and his horses. That was not the worst part though, the worst part was that the stole his clothes and left him tied to the tree.  
  
It took Curtis half a day to get himself untied from the tree. By the time that he was done he had rope burns in places that should never see rope. Of course he cursed the rope, the four men, and for no reason what so ever he cursed Ebony; for everything bad that happens to him is her fault. Curtis walked around the forest for the rest of the day walking through bushes and over logs. What he did not realize was that the bushes that he was walking through happened to be poison ivy.  
  
As night began to fall, Curtis (who was very tired) tripped and he fell down this big hill. He rolled over rocks, sticks, and some more poison ivy before he came to a sudden stop at a pair of ornate iron gates. Curtis laid at the gates unconscious until it was full dark. When he woke up the first thing that he started to do was to curse everything around him, then he cursed the four men, and yet again Ebony. After about an hour of cussing Curtis got up and noticed that the gates were actually open. As he walked though the gates, he also noticed that the walkway led up to an old castle. The castle was covered with ivy vines and climbing roses. As he looked around the grounds, he saw that they were wild and unkempt. The one thing that he did not notice though was that in one of the trees was a small silver winged falcon.  
  
When Curtis finally got to the doors of the castle, the doors opened with out him having to knock. Now, normally Curtis would have turned and high tailed it out of there at this point in time, but he was tired, hurt, and he was starting to itch from all the poison ivy that he had passed though that day. So Curtis walked into the castle.  
  
Once he entered the castle he did not notice that there was no one around. At the end of the hall he did see that there was a room with light coming from it. When Curtis walked into the room, he saw that there was a table that was full of every food that he could of possible imagine and some that he could not. It was then that he noticed for the first time that there was not a single person around. This was starting to freak Curtis out so he did the only thing that he could think of. He called out, "Is there anyone home? I'm lost, hurt, tiered, and as you can see I have no clothes can anyone help me?"  
  
Of course there was no answer to his questions but once he thought about it the food really had to be for him since there was no one else around. With that thought in mind Curtis started in on the food. He ate as if it had been days not hours since he had last eaten and by the time that he was done over half of the food was gone. By this time Curtis was beginning to feel sleepy and decided to look for a room. When he went and opened the door that he had come through instead of the hallway that lead to the front door he found there was a bedroom instead.  
  
In the bedroom the main focus was the huge four poster bed that was in the middle of the room. To the left of the bed there was a dresser and when Curtis opened it it was full of clothes that were just his size. On the wall to the right of the bed there was a door, when Curtis opened the door he saw that it lead to a bathroom that contained everything that he could possible need including a small container that held ointment for his poison ivy. When he saw, this Curtis immediately decided to take the bath that was drawn and put the ointment on to stop the itching.  
  
After his bath Curtis put on a pair of the nightclothes that were provided and settled in for a restful nights sleep in this magical castle that he found. In the morning he got up and put on some of the clothes, which were of a much better quality then anything that he had ever worn before and went to break his fast on food that was just as good if not better than the dinner the night before. When Curtis was finished, he decided that he deserved a few days to relax after all that he had been through. So he figured that since no one lived at the castle, and it was magical and everything was provided for him, he would stay but only for a few days.  
  
What was to be only a few days turned into a few weeks. During those weeks Curtis not only relaxed he also took some of the small items that were of worth any value but would never be missed, a gold fork here, a jewel- encrusted cup there. These things he put away so that he would have something to give his two true daughters when he got home. When he felt, he had enough Curtis decided that it was time for him to return home. As he took a bag that was full of clothes and the items that he had stolen he walked outside. When he looked around Curtis noticed that there was what looked to be a rose garden, it was then that he remembered that Ebony had wanted a single red, red rose. Curtis went over to the rose garden and found a bush that had the most beautiful, darkest red, red roses on them. He started to chuckle to himself as he pictured what Ebony's face would look like when he gave a rose to each of his two true daughters along with everything else.  
  
As Cutis picked one of the roses, he heard a terrible roaring sound that came from the castle and it froze him where he was. The next thing he realized was the warm breath on the back of his neck. When he turned around Curtis was face to face with the most hideous monster that he had ever seen. The thing's fur was a combination of brown, gold, and red. It stood on its back legs making it almost look human, it seemed that it was a patchwork of different animals. The different animals that Curtis could identify were a bear, a wolf, a lion, but there were at least five more that he could not. Only then did Curtis look into the eyes of the monster it had the most beautiful hazel eyes that he had ever seen. They looked too human to belong to such a monstrosity. The next thing that caught Curtis' eye was the monster's gleaming razor-sharp teeth that were protruding from his mouth.  
  
"What in hell do you think that you are doing? Here I give you hospitality, heal your wounds, open my house to you so that you can recuperate and not only do you steal from inside my house you plan on taking one of my roses, also?" the monster roared at Curtis.  
  
Curtis was so petrified that he could not answer the monster for a few seconds. By the time that he had regained his composure the monster was speaking again, "I was going to let you go with the few things that you had stolen, and I would not have said a word. Now though you will have to die for the injustices you have done to me," it said.  
  
Now Curtis was never one that did not think quickly on his feet. After the monster was finished, he fell at his feet, paws, whatever you want to call them and started to beg. He said, "Please you don't understand this rose is for my only daughter, she is the light of my life. When I went on my business trip, I asked her what she wanted and the only thing she said was a single red, red rose to put in her hair. When I got to the city my business went really well but as you know I was robbed on my way home and that is why I took the things from your castle, sir. They are now all the wealth I have and you have so much I didn't think that you would miss a few items. So I'm begging you to spare my life so that I can go home and be with my beautiful Ebony."  
  
"You have a daughter you say?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"All right I have a deal for you then."  
  
"A deal…"  
  
"Yes, you can live if and only if you send your daughter here to live with me for the rest of her life. If not you will come back here and die," the monster stated in a low tone.  
  
Curtis thought about this for a few minutes and then said, "If I don't send my daughter Ebony to you I have to come back and die. What will happen if I don't send my daughter and I don't come back myself?"  
  
"I will hunt you down and kill not only you but your daughter too. You have three days in which to decide. The horse in the stable will take you home today and bring you or your daughter back at the end of the three days. Leave now!"  
  
The monster watched as Curtis climbed onto the back of the horse and rode off. It was then that the silver winged falcon flew down and landed on a branch at eye level with the monster. "What in the world do you hope to accomplish by this. We both know that you will not go after the poor man and that the man will not send the light of his life to live here with you. So what were you thinking, Dimitri?"  
  
Dimitri turned on the little bird and roared, "I thought I told you never to call me that again, you stupid little bird!" 


	3. The Beginning

1 Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: Thank you for all reviews. I will post as often as the chapters come. Keep watching they will come. Now last time Curtis, Ebony's father, made his deal, got his money, got robbed, robbed the beast, lied and was sent home (basically right). So lets now continue the story…  
  
Chapter 3- The Beginning  
  
Curtis had been home for two days when he called Joanna, Evelyn and (to every ones surprise) Ebony together to tell them what had happened to him during his trip. He talked over dinner about how the deal went down and all the money that he got from it. He also told them what it was like in the city from the fashion to the weather. It was not until after dinner that Curtis told them what happened after he left the city. When he got to how he was robbed and left tied to a tree naked both; Joanna and Evelyn cried about how unfair life was. At this point Ebony was trying to figure out why her father wanted her to listen to how his trip went.  
  
It was then that Curtis started to tell them all about the castle, the magic, the riches, and lastly about the monster that was the lord over it all. This is where the story that he was telling changed from what truly happened. "When I tried to leave the monster stopped me and threw me into the dungeon, and I begged him to let me go so that I could come home and take care of my family. This was when he stopped and asked me to tell him about my family. I told him about Joanna and Evelyn and how beautiful they are," at this point Joanna and Evelyn almost fainted thinking that they might have to go and live with the monster. Curtis continued "He listened as I talked but when I was finished he just turned way and started to leave. It was then that I remembered about you, Ebony, and I told him that I did have a third daughter. He stopped at this, turned, and asked me to tell him about you. When I was finished, he said that there might be a way for me to get out. The deal was that I had to sign you over to him and then send you to him after I had been home for three days. So I did. So tomorrow morning you have to leave and go to his castle until you die."  
  
"No, you truly couldn't have done some thing like that. There is no way that you could hate me that much that you would send me off to some monster, some beast for the rest of my life. No, this can't be happening."  
  
"The thing that you do not seem to get is that it has already been done and in the morning you will be going even if I have to tie you into the saddle of that monster's horse."  
  
"You don't understand! I can't leave. Not when I just found Henry and we have fallen in love. So you see I no longer belong to you, I belong to Henry."  
  
"Who is Henry?" Curtis asked in a quiet voice.  
  
Ebony realized that she made a big mistake at saying Henry's name because her father turned on her. He started to yell and scream about how she dared disobey him, and how she was a slut and a whore just like her mother. Then he said that she was lucky that she was leaving or he would beat her to death then he would have gone after Henry and killed him to. When he was finished, he grabbed her arm and pulled her until they got to her small bedroom where he locked her in saying that he would let her out when it was time for her to leave.  
  
That night Ebony cried herself to sleep praying that there would be a miracle to help her stay and be with Henry. When morning came Curtis unlocked Ebony's bedroom door and took her to the horse on which he had come home. He put her on it; she did not struggle because she could see no hope in trying to stop him. After she was on the horse Curtis told her that she was to behave herself and not to cause problems with the beast. Then he smacked the horse and sent it on its way.  
  
When Ebony reached the woods the horse almost ran over Henry. He was walking to her house to see if everything was alright because she had not met him for the past couple of days. When he saw that she was on the horse and that she was crying he pulled the horse to a halt. He then lifted her down from the horse so that he could hold her. Ebony held onto Henry like she was never going to let him go even though she knew that she would have to.  
  
"My angel, my love why are crying? Why are you riding this strange horse? Why are you heading into the deep forest?"  
  
"Oh, Henry, my love, I have to leave. I can't stay no matter how much I want to stay here with you, in your arms. I can't and please don't ask where I'm going. Just know that I love you and I will love you forever. This is good bye then my love."  
  
"No, my angel you can't leave me, don't you understand that no matter where you go you will always be with me and you will always have a piece of me with you. My heart is yours to take with you wherever you go. So, don't you see I will be able to find you no matter what. Even if you are on the other side of the world. All I have to do is follow my heart and there you will be when I find it again. See there is no need for all these tears I will find you. We will be together forever just have faith in our love and wait for me. Now you must be on your way before people start to wonder if something has happened to you. Keep my heart safe until I see you again my angel, my love."  
  
With this said Henry hugged Ebony one last time and then put her on the horse. He then kissed her hand before smacking the horse to sending the horse on its way, yet again. As Ebony rode away, she promised herself that she would await Henry's rescue of her from the beast to which her father sold her. With this thought Ebony was able to dry her tears and face her future a little easier.  
  
As Ebony traveled to the castle, she tried to picture how her life was going to change. She thought about what her father had told her and shuddered when she actually thought of the beast. The one thing that she thought of the most though was how she was not going to be able to live without Henry. Ebony was also wondering if living with the beast was going to be the same as living with her family or if the beast would just lock her in the dungeon and forget about her letting her starve to death before Henry could find her. During the time she thought about this the horse made it to the castle and stopped outside the gates.  
  
When Ebony realized that they had stopped she looked up and gasped when she saw the castle. It was nothing like what her father had described. The castle did have the ivy, climbing roses, and the lawn was in poor shape, but where her father said that it was dark and gloomy Ebony saw the stuff that fairy tales were made of. The castle's high towers that glinted in the sun to the arched windows that were dark and mysteries. She was awe stuck as she slipped off the horse and walked to the gate opening it. As Ebony walked through, she noticed that the castle was even more impressive the close one got to it. When she finally reached the wooden doors Ebony had to stop and look closely at them. What she saw was an elaborate hunting scene that was etched into the wood. The scene continued all over both doors with the doors reaching up a good twelve feet. After staring at that the doors for a good ten minutes Ebony reached up to knock on the door but the second that she placed her hand on the door it opened on its own. As the door opened all the way Ebony stepped into the dark interior and the door closed behind her. 


	4. The Truth

1 Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: Again I thank you for all the great reviews. It surprised me to have so many in such a short time. Well lets see what happened last time, Curtis told about his trip, he lied about what happened at the castle, Ebony was sent on her way, we ran into Henry again, Henry had his speech, he sent Ebony on her way, Ebony made it to the castle and entered. That is where we continue our story…  
  
Chapter 4- The Truth  
  
As Ebony walked down the hall her father talked about she noticed that it was not as dark as he made it out to be. When she got to the room at the end of the hall, it was again filled with all different types of food. The table was so full that Ebony wondered how it could continue to stay on its legs without breaking. She went to the only chair at the table and sat to wait for someone to arrive to tell her what the plan was. Ebony could smell all of the wonderful food and her stomach started to talk to her, reminding her that she had not eaten all day. When a good hour had pasted and no one arrived she could not hold back any longer. It was when Ebony took her first bite of a dish that she became amazed to find out that it was still warm to her astonishment and delight all the food on the table was still warm. After she had eaten her fill, she noticed a door behind her that was open slightly. Through the crack she could see a light; she also thought that she heard two male voices.  
  
"What do you mean she's here?"  
  
"She is sitting in the dinning hall right as we speak."  
  
Ebony realized then that they were talking about her. She started to open the door some more so that she could see who was talking about her when they continued with the conversation.  
  
"Hey, but you said that there was no way her father would send the light of his life here to live out the rest of her life with me."  
  
Ebony was taken back when she heard these words because she did not believe that her father would ever, not even if his life depended on it, call her the light of his life.  
  
"Maybe she loves her father so much that she willingly took his place or he could have lied to us."  
  
"Still if he lied to us why would he send his daughter to live with a beast such as me?"  
  
At this point, Ebony made a small sound because she could not imagine that the beast, the monster that she had been sent to would sound so cultured and refined. It took her a second to realize that the voices had stopped. As she slowly backed away from the door it was slammed open with such force that the door was ripped off its hinges. All Ebony could do was stare at the beast that now filled the door. She stared until the beast started to yell.  
  
"What do you think you are doing listening in on a private conversation?" the beast all but roared to Ebony.  
  
At this point Ebony turned as white as a freshly washed sheet and fainted. When the beast saw this, he let out a heavy sigh and walked over to her. It was then that the silver winged falcon flew out of the room and landed on top of the beast's head. With one sharp peck to the beast's head the falcon said, "Now look at what you have done. How do you expect her to stay when you go and frighten her, not five minutes after the two of you meet."  
  
"This is truly not the time to irritate me you stupid little bird for as you know I have not had my dinner yet."  
  
The beast picked Ebony up and carried her to the door. After a few seconds he opened the door and walked down a hall that led to a bedroom. In the bedroom the beast laid Ebony down on a big four poster bed, that sat under a wall of windows in the room. He than stood there watching her for a few minutes. It fascinated him how the sun played on her hair and on her skin. The beast did not see the falcon fly in and land on top of one of the bedposts. When he turned and spotted the falcon he said, "When she awakens tell her that she is to eat with me from now on. She is free to roam the castle and the garden but she is not to go past the gates. Also tell her that her father is safe." With that the beast walked out of the room.  
  
After about an hour Ebony started to wake up. When she sat up, she saw that she was in the most beautiful room that she had ever seen. The whole bedroom had a soft warm feeling to it. The bed that she was on had a combination of both peach and cream colored linens on it. Those colors were then carried throughout the entire scheme of the room. At the far end of the wall of windows there was a door that led to a balcony. Which over looked the most beautiful rose garden that Ebony had ever seen. When she then turned to take a closer look at what was in the bedroom she noticed a silver winged falcon sitting on the top of one of the bedposts.  
  
"You should really stay there until after I finish talking."  
  
With a start Ebony looked around the bedroom trying to find out who was speaking. She could not find anyone. "Who said that?" Ebony asked with a quiver in her voice.  
  
"Now don't faint on me, but look up at the top of the bedpost."  
  
"You're telling me that you are the silver winged falcon on the bedpost."  
  
"What manners you must think I have. I am the faithful servant and friend to both you and the master of this place. My dear lady Ebony my name is Sir Eric."  
  
Ebony sat with her mouth wide open as the falcon talked, actually talked, to her. Then she remembered the beast and what was said in the room off of the dinning room. "Wait hold on you were the one in the room with the beast, right."  
  
"Yes, about that…"  
  
"No, you don't understand there has to be something wrong with what you guys were talking about. You kept saying that I was the light of my father's life when I'm not. That is the furthest thing from the truth. It is more like I'm the blight on his and my sister's lives."  
  
"Your father said that you are the light… wait you have sisters? Your father said nothing about sisters."  
  
"My father told me that the beast locked him in the dungeon and that he showed no interest in them, but that when my father told the beast about me the beast stopped and listened. It was when my father was finished that the beast told him that to save his life he would have to send me to live here for the rest of my life. Even though I'm in love with Henry."  
  
"You are in love?"  
  
"Yes, with the most handsome, gentlest, caring, wonderful…"  
  
"I get the point. What made you faint in the dinning room earlier?"  
  
Ebony stopped and thought about the question. After a few minutes she turned to Eric and said, "I don't think it was totally because of how he looked, that was more of a surprise than anything else, I think the main reason was the fact that he frightened me when he started yelling. Also, I was still in shock from listening to what you two were saying and how wrong it all was."  
  
"I can't explain about what you over heard and which is the truth, but I might be able to explain a little about why the beast is the way he is."  
  
"Really, please if I'm to live the rest of my life here, it might help to know what happened to both you and the beast."  
  
"Okay this story starts many years ago. The beast and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. I can tell you that the beast would never back down from a dare. This was the one thing that was forever getting us into trouble, because I wouldn't let him do any dare without me. One day we were playing at the edge of the woods with some boys that were visiting the castle with their parents. The boys had heard about how there was supposed to be a great and powerful sorcerer that lived in the middle of the woods. That was when they made the dare. They dared Di…I mean the beast that he could not go into the forest, find the sorcerer, and return with proof that he exists. Well he them immediately took the dare. In a heartbeat he had started into the woods with me following right behind him.  
  
"It took the rest of the day to make it to where the sorcerer lived. The sun was just setting when we came upon a large clearing with what turned out to be an altar in the center. There was no one around so we decided to have a look around to see if this was truly the place were the sorcerer lived. We had been looking for maybe five minutes when there was suddenly a flash of lighting and a crash of thunder. When we turned around to look at what was happening, the sorcerer was standing next to the altar staring at us. Suddenly there was another crash of thunder and the two of us were tied up with vines and sitting next to the altar.  
  
"It was then that the sorcerer picked the beast up and sat him on the altar. Now you have to realize that the beast is not a person that shows fear, and the sorcerer loved when things would quiver with fear. When the sorcerer noticed that the beast did not quiver, not even a small shiver, he got extremely enraged. The sorcerer started to tell the beast all the things that were going to happen to him, and let me tell you I was about ready to pee my pants. Still the beast just sat there looking the sorcerer in the eyes not batting an eyelash at the horrible things that the sorcerer was going to do to him. When the sorcerer realized that nothing he said was going to trouble the beast he stopped and started to think. After about five minutes of silence the sorcerer said, 'You are not afraid of anything, little boy? Not torture and death, not even of the monsters of the forest.'  
  
"When the beast said no, the sorcerer continued, 'All right then I have the perfect punishment for you. For the crime of trespassing on my property you are cursed to live out your life as a beast until true love finds you and sets you free.' Then there was another flash of lighting and crash of thunder and there the beast was laying unconscious in the form that you have seen today.  
  
"It was then that the sorcerer turned to me and said that he was going to let me go with no punishment. I started to cry for my friend and begged the sorcerer to change me as well so that I could stay with my friend. The sorcerer thought that this was a strange request, but when he saw that I was serious he said, 'Only a true and faithful friend would be willing to do this and I well grant you this favor. Take care of him until the time arrives that he finds his true love and continue to be his friend.' There was the lighting and the thunder and then I passed out.  
  
"I was the first to wake up and when I looked at myself I was in this body. The beast slowly started to wake and when he noticed how he looked he roared for a good ten minutes. When he stopped, he noticed that I had been changed also and started to cry. It was then that I told him that I did it willingly because I was his friend and would not leave him. We then started to walk around to see if we could find a place to live and came across this castle. It always gives us what we need and I have a feeling that the sorcerer made it so we could live. Now all we have to do is wait until the beast finds his true love."  
  
After Eric finished his story Ebony did not know what to think or say. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes thinking about the past and the future. It was then that Eric decided that it was time to leave, and let Ebony get some rest before dinner.  
  
Eric then turned to Ebony, before he went out the door, and said, "The beast said to tell you that you are to eat dinner with him. Also, that you are free to wander around anywhere in the castle you like and on the grounds, but don't try to leave."  
  
With that Eric flew out the door; that magically opened and shut for him. Ebony sat on the bed thinking about what Eric had told her and how she now understood why the beast was mad when he found her listening at the door. It was then that she decided that when dinner came along she was going to apologize to the beast. 


	5. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews they help a lot. Lets see what happened last chapter. Oh, now I remember Ebony meet Dimitri (the beast) and Eric, we had a small glimpse into Ebony's room. We finally found out how Eric and Dimitri were changed. Now for the continuation of the story…  
  
Chapter 5- New Beginnings  
  
As Ebony sat on her bed she took a good look around. She saw that the walls were wallpapered in a nice soft peach and the carpet was a cream color. The furniture was upholstered with a striped peach and cream fabric. When Ebony saw that there were three doors she decided to investigate what was behind them.  
  
The first door that she tried led out into the hallway. The other two doors were on the wall across from the bed. When she opened the one on the left it led into the most elaborate bathroom that Ebony had ever seen. It had a bathtub that was at least the size of a small swimming pool. On one wall there was a painting that covered the entire wall. The painting was of the ocean just at sunset with the waves crashing on the shore. It was so good that if someone were to stare at the painting long enough they would swear that they were on the beach. When Ebony was able to pull herself away from the painting and look at what, was in the bathroom she saw that there were dozens of bottles at one end of the bathtub. Each bottle contained some type of oil either for the hair or the skin. When she opened each one that Ebony smelled every fragrance that she knew and some that were new to her.  
  
Ebony finally pulled herself away from the bathroom because she was wondering what could possibly be behind the other door. When she opened the last door, the one on the right, in the room, she was shocked speechless. This door led to a room that was filled with clothes. There was every type of clothing that you could imagine from simple day dresses to elaborate ball gowns. Also there were all the accessories that went along with the clothes. There were shoes to match, undergarments, all the way up to hairpieces. After Ebony caught her breath, she walked into the room touching the clothes on her left and right. When she came to a gown of dark green almost black she stopped and pulled it out. That is when she saw the full length mirror on the far wall. Ebony walked up to the mirror and held the dress up in front of her. She was amazed at what she saw when she looked into the mirror. Now, understand that she had never looked at herself in a mirror before so when she saw the beautiful woman staring back at her it took Ebony a moment to realize that it was her in the mirror. As much as she loved the grown when she turned around she spotted a gown that was the same blue as her beloved Henry's eyes. It was then that Ebony decided that she wanted to remember Henry so she was going to ware the blue gown. She set the gown out with all the accessories and went to take a bath. Ebony used the oil that smelled like pine trees, because it reminded her of all the times that she met Henry in the forest.  
  
When Ebony stepped out of the dressing room, she saw that Eric was sitting on the bed. "I'm glad to see that you are ready for dinner, my lady. I'm here to show you the way."  
  
Ebony looked at Eric for a few minutes and then said, "I'm so happy to see you. I can't tell you how worried I was about trying to find the dinning room again."  
  
She took a deep breath and looked at Eric saying, "Lead the way my good man."  
  
As they walked down the hallways Ebony thought on how she was going to apologize to the beast. When they reached the door to the dinning room, she still did not know what she was going to say. The first thing that Ebony noticed when she walked into the room was how beautiful it looked. There were flowers everywhere, candles giving off a soft light, and the food looked like a masterpieces. It was then that she saw the beast standing at the head of the table.  
  
He looked the same as when she had seen him earlier. His clothes were old and warn with stains that Ebony did not even try to guess what they were from. While Ebony was checking the beast out, the beast was checking Ebony out and for the first time in many years he wished that he had taken the time to clean him self up before coming to dinner. Now during this time Eric was sitting on the top of the door watching. When he saw the beast's reaction, he was positive that this was the beginning of the end for both him and the beast. With that thought he flew out the door making sure that they closed behind him.  
  
After Eric left Ebony took a deep breath and started her apology, "I'm sorry about my reaction before but when I heard what you were saying and then when you came bursting through the door and I had traveled all that way and I was tired and I was emotionally drained and I'm babbling right?"  
  
The beast then said, "Yes, you are but that is all right and you have nothing to apologize for Eric told me what you told him. So you see I am the one who should apologize to you. I would also like us to try to be friends I know that it might be hard for you but it also might make it a little easier in the years to come."  
  
"I don't know if I could ever be your friend." Ebony stated.  
  
"I understand. If we can't be friends then at least lets be able to have dinner without any major upsets and go from there. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?" the beast said a little sadly.  
  
Ebony agreed to that and they both sat down for a dinner that passed in complete silence. When it was over Ebony, got up and went back to her room where she changed into a nightgown, climbed into bed, and cried her self to sleep. The beast on the other hand sat in the dinning room thinking on how much more alone he felt now then when it was just him and Eric.  
  
In the morning Ebony took another bath with the forest oils and put on a yellow gown. She then decided that it was time to investigate her new "home". It was just after noon when she found the largest library that she had ever seen. She slowly walked around the room every once in a while touching one of the books. Ebony pulled one of the books off the shelves and started to look through it. The beast walked in just as she was looking at the book and said, "You know you can take any of them to read."  
  
Ebony jumped at the beast's voice and turned to him after she put the book away. When she was looking at him, she said, "I would love to but you see the only problem is I don't know how to read. I was not important enough for my father to teach me."  
  
The beast could hear the sadness and anger when she talked. He wanted to say something that would put a smile on her face. So he walked over to the book she had put away and pulls it out. The beast then turned to face her and said, "I could teach you to read if it is something that you really want to do."  
  
Ebony looked into the beast's eyes and saw that he was being honest. She then said, "It is one of the things that I want most in the world. When can we start?"  
  
"How about tomorrow at this time here in the library," the beast said with a smile.  
  
"Until tomorrow then," Ebony said with a smile and walked out of the library leaving the beast smiling as she left. 


	6. The Truth About Henry

Disclaimer: See chapter one  
  
A/N: *Hides behind a police riot shield* I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter out but a lot has happened. First I was going to be gone all summer but that didn't work out. Then I meet this guy and haven't had time to write. Of course there's also school that just started. If that wasn't enough to cause me not to write this chapter gave me a major case of writers' block. So here it is, if anyone still wants to read my story, the next chapter. Now last time we had our first look into Ebony's bedroom, the first dinner, and the gift of learning how to read. Now on with the story.  
  
Chapter 6- The Truth About Henry  
  
"It has been six months and you still have found no trace of her?" Henry spoke as calmly as he could to the tracker.  
  
The tracker was starting to get scared for he knew Henry's moods too well. More people ended up "disappearing" when he was calm then when he was so angry that smoke came out his ears. The tracker started to speak hesitantly "M.My Lord, I have looked all over the forest, I have even gone as far as the northern area which everyone says is haunted. There was no trace of her. It is like she vanished. I am sorry my lord but perhaps you should just forget about her and."  
  
"How dare you!"  
  
"I...I'm sorry my lord, please don't get angry," the tracker whimpered  
  
"You sniveling, insolent little nothing. Where do you get off, saying I should just give up on the love of my life." bellowed Henry.  
  
"My lord, please forgive me I spoke without thinking. I meant nothing by it."  
  
"Guards take this fool out of my site and make him disappear!"  
  
The guards dragged the tracker away as he was begging Henry to forgive him. Henry ignored him as he sat down to think. After a few minutes a thin, tall guy walks into the room. His hands are stained with blood along with his clothes.  
  
Henry spots him and smiles, "Oh good, Igor. Did he tell you what I want to know?"  
  
Igor smiles evilly, "Of course he did my lord, I'm not the best without reason."  
  
Henry nods his head, "Good, good, so where is she?"  
  
"Far to the north. Deep within the forest lies a castle; there is where you will find your love, but beware the beast." Igor warns. Henry just laughs, "There is no beast that will keep me from my angel. It's going to take some time though to get there. I just hope my love can hold on that long . . . Igor I want you to make sure that my heart doesn't have to worry about her father anymore, understand?"  
  
Igor nods his head, "Yes, my lord I understand completely." He then bows to Henry and walks out of the room.  
  
Henry sits there not moving for a few minutes trying to coming up with a plan to rescue Ebony. After about twenty minutes a guard walks in a little nervous.  
  
"My lord . . . "  
  
Henry looks up startled, "What?"  
  
The guard keeps his head down, "My lord . . . there's a woman at the doors . . . and . . . "  
  
Henry stars to get impatient, "Out with it man I have better things to do then to listen to you all day."  
  
The guard swallows hard, "Well, my lord this woman . . . well you see she says . . . that . . . umm . . . she says that it is time for you to meet your son."  
  
Henry looks confused, "Son, I have no son. Tell this woman that I have no son and that if she comes here again both her and her child will be killed. I will not have some woman upsetting my love when I bring her home. Understand me?"  
  
The guard nods and hurries out of the room. Henry then calls his captain into the room so that they can start planing their rescue mission. 


	7. Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
AN: I know it has been forever and a day since I have posted anything. Life kinda got away from me and the next thing I know it has been well over a year. Also I've had a very bad case of writers block, I know, I know that is the excuse every one uses but it is true. Then I lost the desk this was saved on for awhile only to find it again with half the chapter missing. But enough with my ramblings here is the next chapter in my story I hope you like it.  
  
Chapter 7- Beginning of the End  
  
Ebony sat on a couch in the library staring at the dancing flames of the roaring fire. She pulls the blanket closer around her shoulders as she glances out the window and watches the still falling snow. With a soft sigh she looks down at the book in her lap and smiles softly. Gently she runs her fingers over the cover and remembers the night he gave it to her.  
  
Flashback  
  
Ebony was standing at the window looking up at the moon when the beast walked into the library. At the sound of the closing door she turns and smiles.  
  
"Good evening," she says.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Just enjoying the beautiful night, would you care to join me?" she asks as she holds out her hand to him.  
  
Slowly giving her time to pull away he takes her hand. Ebony pulls him next to her and looks back at the night sky. The beast tries to stay calm as he realizes that she is still holding his hand. He watches as the moonlight shines down on her, casting her in a soft glow. With a sigh he thinks 'She looks like an angel.' As he continues to look at Ebony, he notices that none of the moonlight hits him. 'Forever in darkness, always alone' he shakes his head and steps away from her.  
  
Ebony turns and looks at him with concern in her emerald eyes, "Beast, what is it?"  
  
Shaking his head the beast states, "Nothing, I just . . . um . . . I have something for you, that is if you will accept it."  
  
"Of course I will accept your gift. Although you didn't have to get me anything," she says with a smile that always seems to light the darkest part of his soul.  
  
"I wanted to. Besides you deserve this after all the hard work you have put in," he stated. As the beast said this he slowly walks toward her and hands her a small wrapped package. Shyly he ducks his head and hides his eyes as Ebony opens the gift.  
  
Slowly she unwraps her gift gasping at what she now holds in her hands. "Oh, my. Beast this is beautiful," she states in awe.  
  
'Not nearly as beautiful as you' he thought.  
  
Inside the wrapping was a small leather bound book. The book had gold filigree around the edges and down the spine. When Ebony opened the cover, she saw that the beast had written her an inscription.  
  
The inscription read:  
  
_To the one who brought  
light into my world  
To the one who brought  
joy to my soul  
To the one who brought  
peace to my heart  
To the one who saw  
hope in emptiness  
To the one who saw  
past the monster  
To the one who saw  
beauty in the beast  
I give you this little token  
so that you will remember me  
_  
Ebony looks up at the beast with tears in her eyes, but notices that his head is still turned away from her. Softly she sets down her book and with gentle hands she cups his cheeks and lifts his head. She gives him a soft smile while running her fingers over the fur on his cheek. "Beast it is beautiful. Never in my life have I had such a gift. Thank you, but you did not need to get me something to remember you. For as long as I'm alive I will never forget you."  
  
The beast closes his eyes as he leanes into her touch. Savoring the feel of her skin on his face before he pulls away. Taking a deep breath he turns his back to her and says "Who knows what will happen in the future. Why your love might show up tomorrow and you would leave me without a backward glance."  
  
Slowly Ebony picks up her book and traces the gold filigree. She hugs the book close as she walks over to the beast laying her head on his back, not surprised that he stiffens up. "It's been nine months, somehow I think that he has forgotten about me. Anyway, I'm very happy here. Truth be told I'm the happiest I've ever been, that includes the time I spent with Henry."  
  
He nods and slowly turns around wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. The beast closes his eyes and just holds Ebony committing the feel of her in his arms to memory. He then bends down and whispers into her ear, "When he comes for you, like I know he will, I will not hold you to the bargain. You will be free to leave. The only thing I ask of you is when that time comes don't look back just walk into your life, walk away from this empty place."  
  
Without another word the beast let's go of her and quickly walks out of the library leaving Ebony behind wondering what exactly he had meant.  
  
End Flashback  
  
With a shake of her head Ebony comes back from her memory. She opens her book and looks again at the inscription smiling softly as she traces the letters with her fingertips. 'I can't believe he only gave this to me two weeks ago. So many things have changed in the time that I have been here. Never did I think I would come to love it here and the beast...'  
  
With a sigh Ebony pushes way that last thought. She doesn't want to think about how her feelings for him have changed in the six and a half months that she has been in the castle. Then of course there was Henry. Rubbing her temples Ebony closes her eyes and decides to stop thinking about Henry or the beast. With that she lay's down on the couch closing her eyes and is asleep before she knows it.  
  
Ebony had been asleep for about half an hour when the beast and Eric walk into the library.  
  
Silently the beast walks over and kneels next to Ebony. Gently he brushes a lock of her hair behind her ear. Sighing softly he watches as the fire and the shadows play across her face. Eric has been perched on the back of the couch watching the beast's movements. Sighing to himself Eric asks, "Why don't you just tell her?"  
  
Jerking his head up the beast looks Eric in the eye before quickly looking away, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Okay, you know what, I'm sick and tired of watching you, day after day, as you hide behind your curse. You love the girl, you know it and I know it so don't deny it. So please tell her already, and don't even think about giving me that spiel about you having nothing to offer her."  
  
Eric takes a deep breath, calming down a little. He looks at the beast and then looks at Ebony, "My friend, she is the one. I've watched you two together and she loves you as much as you love her. You need to open your heart to her before it's to late, there are men moving in the forest." The beast's head comes up as Eric continues, "I don't know if they are coming for her or if they are just passing through but do you really want to take the chance of losing her? Please don't let her slip through your fingers. I don't want to see you in this form forever. I don't want to see you go back to hiding in the shadows. These forms are not our forms. Tell her how you feel, I promise you won't regret it."  
  
The beast gently runs the back of his fingers across Ebony's cheek and sighs softly. After a few more minutes of watching her sleep he stands up and starts to walk out of the library. He stops at the door and looks over his shoulder at Eric, "You're right it is time to end this."  
  
Eric sighs with relief, "Finally you see the light, now I sug...."  
  
The beast shakes his head and interrupts him, "That's not what I meant. Tomorrow we are going to open the gates, and let the men from the forest in so that they can take Ebony back to her beloved Henry. For I understand now that I was never meant to have her."  
  
Eric looked shocked, "But...."  
  
"No, this ends now. Tomorrow she will be on her way back to her happiness. I want you to tell her what's going to happen, but not tonight let her sleep. This is the last time I'm going to be down from my tower. After you see her safely off I want you to leave as well, find your self a nice mate and live your life."  
  
Eric couldn't believe his ears, "No, that's not going to happen. I won't leave you to rot away alone. We were together at the beginning and we will be together at the end, there is nothing you can say to get me to abandon you."  
  
"Eric you should have never been cursed to begin with. Now that there is no hope you should live some kind of normal life, at least as normal as you can in the body that you have."  
  
Shaking his head Eric flies over and lands on the beast's shoulder "This is and was always my choice nothing will ever change that. Together till the end. Just like when we were kids. I do wish that you would tell her how you feel though. It would save me the trouble of playing the martyr."  
  
Laughing slightly the beast says, as they walk out the library door, "Shut up you dumb little bird...and thank you my friend."  
  
As the door closes Ebony wakes slightly but when she sees that nothing is amiss she falls back asleep never knowing what had just transpired around her.  
  
Unbeknown to any who dwelled within the castle walls; sitting in wait on the edge of the woods there is a small camp of armored men waiting for dawn to break so they can attack.  
  
Henry stands staring at the castle, "Do not worry my beloved, my angel, with the dawning of the new day I will have you back in my arms. Once there you shall never leave again. We will have the happily ever after as we always talked about. This I promise you, we will have that beast's hide for a rug in front of the fireplace in our room. Never fear my love soon you shall be free again, and we will be together."  
  
With his promise mad Henry turns on his heals and quickly starts back to the camp. Just before he reaches the camp he trips over a root and does a face plant into a pile of snow. Igor comes running to check on his lord when he sees that the pile of snow happens to be a mix of brown, yellow, and a very little white. Trying not to laugh Igor helps a furious and muttering Henry back to camp.


End file.
